Forman voices support for Deng

Late Thursday night, as the NBA Draft wound down, Bulls general manager Gar Forman was asked about Luol Deng.

Deng is headed into the final year of his contract. The Bulls will explore trade interest, but it’s also possible they will try to negotiate an extension when things die down this summer.

“We value Luol, as you all know,” Forman said at the Berto Center. “You’ve heard Tom (Thibodeau) talk about it during the season. You’ve heard us talk about for years. Luol’s a big piece of what we’re doing. He’s been a big piece of the success we’ve had the last couple of years. He’ll continue to be a big piece of what we’re doing moving forward.

“We don’t talk about contract negotiations publicly, but obviously we’re very high on Luol and look forward to him coming back healthy and having a great year next season.”

NO CAP HELP FOR HOUSTON
One rumor making the rounds in recent days had the Bulls willing to trade their first-round pick to Houston for power forward Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft.

It wasn’t true. The Bulls got a call and said they weren’t interested. They don’t need another power forward and would have to pay luxury tax on the difference in salary between Robinson and the No. 20 pick.

The Rockets reportedly want to shed enough salary to open cap room to chase Dwight Howard in free-agency.

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Mike McGraw has covered the Bulls since 1995, becoming the full-time beat writer in 1999. He is still haunted by memories of the 1973 Game 7 collapse against the Lakers, Rick Barry and Lionel Hollins. The passion wasn't quite the same during the championship era, but he does appreciate having a good seat at the Delta Center for Michael Jordan's final shot with the Bulls in 1998.

These days, the Stevenson High School graduate enjoys coaching youth sports and tries to incorporate principles taught by Tim Floyd, Bill Cartwright and Scott Skiles into every practice.